Call to pursue enactment of arms trade treaty in UNGA
Sunday, 14 September 2008
The government has been asked to play its vital role in pursuing the enactment of the proposed arms trade treaty in the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) next month, reports BSS.
The proposed treaty after the enactment would reduce availability of the small and light arms, which were mostly used in anti human rights activities, as a total of 0.7 million people were killed across the globe in a year with bullets from small and light arms by both legal or illegal users.
This was disclosed at a press conference on "Action on New Arms Trade Treaty" organised by Bangladesh Network on Small Partnership Centre (BDPC) and Bangladesh Network on Small Arms (BANSA) at the National Press Club in the city Saturday.
Director of BDPC Sharif A Kafi read out the written statement at the conference.
Also present at the press conference were BDPC chairperson Maksuda Faroque Ratna, project director Abdul Hasnat, representative of BANSA Atiqa Majumder, representative of Bangladesh Coalition for Child Rights (BCCR) Rosni Jahan and representative of Nari O Manobadhikar Foundation (NAMAF) Shahana Begum.
Speaking on the occasion, Sharif A Kafi said the General Assembly of United Nations in October would discuss the new arms treaty, which was proposed in 2006 to bring transparency and accountability in arms manufacture, sales, trade and uses of arms.
"With enactment of the treaty, the supply of illegal arms, which were causing rise in poverty and hampering development activities, would be reduced," Sharif A Kafi hoped.
On this occasion hundreds of institutions and thousands of people will observe a week long programme from September 13 to September 19 this year to create awareness among the people, he said.
Under the previous arms trade treaty, there were scopes of illegal arms trades, he said adding that since there were no provisions for monitoring the whereabouts of the arms, many institutions and individuals used to sell arms to illegal users.
Sharif A Kafi further said that if the proposed new arms trade treaty is enacted in the UN General Assembly, it would be possible to stop illegal trades of arms and thus reduce conflict in the world and save lives of innocent people.
A total of 1,289 arms factories in 92 countries in the world were producing 8 million small and light arms and 12 billion bullets, which was two bullets for every inhabitants in the globe. The legal trade of arms in a year amounts to US$ 4.0 billion while there is further trade of US$ 1.0 billion illegally, he added.
The proposed treaty after the enactment would reduce availability of the small and light arms, which were mostly used in anti human rights activities, as a total of 0.7 million people were killed across the globe in a year with bullets from small and light arms by both legal or illegal users.
This was disclosed at a press conference on "Action on New Arms Trade Treaty" organised by Bangladesh Network on Small Partnership Centre (BDPC) and Bangladesh Network on Small Arms (BANSA) at the National Press Club in the city Saturday.
Director of BDPC Sharif A Kafi read out the written statement at the conference.
Also present at the press conference were BDPC chairperson Maksuda Faroque Ratna, project director Abdul Hasnat, representative of BANSA Atiqa Majumder, representative of Bangladesh Coalition for Child Rights (BCCR) Rosni Jahan and representative of Nari O Manobadhikar Foundation (NAMAF) Shahana Begum.
Speaking on the occasion, Sharif A Kafi said the General Assembly of United Nations in October would discuss the new arms treaty, which was proposed in 2006 to bring transparency and accountability in arms manufacture, sales, trade and uses of arms.
"With enactment of the treaty, the supply of illegal arms, which were causing rise in poverty and hampering development activities, would be reduced," Sharif A Kafi hoped.
On this occasion hundreds of institutions and thousands of people will observe a week long programme from September 13 to September 19 this year to create awareness among the people, he said.
Under the previous arms trade treaty, there were scopes of illegal arms trades, he said adding that since there were no provisions for monitoring the whereabouts of the arms, many institutions and individuals used to sell arms to illegal users.
Sharif A Kafi further said that if the proposed new arms trade treaty is enacted in the UN General Assembly, it would be possible to stop illegal trades of arms and thus reduce conflict in the world and save lives of innocent people.
A total of 1,289 arms factories in 92 countries in the world were producing 8 million small and light arms and 12 billion bullets, which was two bullets for every inhabitants in the globe. The legal trade of arms in a year amounts to US$ 4.0 billion while there is further trade of US$ 1.0 billion illegally, he added.